Bruce Lee Podcast

#11 Walk On

“Walk on.” There’s a story behind this famous quote. In 1969, Bruce
severely injured his back during a routine training session because
he didn’t warm up properly. He was told he could never practice
martial arts again and may never walk normally. Devastated by this
news, Bruce became a researcher of his injury, his body and
ultimately created his own path to healing. The journey was long
and there were many ups and downs. At one point he took one of his
business cards and wrote “Walk on” on the back. He put this card
where he could see it to remind him every day to move forward with
his recovery. No matter what anyone else said, he would always
“Walk on." It is from this year-long recovery period that produced
much of Bruce Lee’s writing. Since he was confined to his bed,
Bruce would read and write constantly to stay active. In one of his
writings Bruce says: “Whether I like it or not, circumstances are
thrust upon me, and being a fighter at heart, I sort of fight it in
the beginning. But soon realize that what I need is not inner
resistance and needless conflict, rather by joining forces to
readjust, I need to make the best of it.” “Walk on and leave behind
all the things that would dam up the inlet or clog the outlet of
experience.” Later when writing to a friend about his back injury:
“But with every adversity comes a blessing because a shock acts as
a reminder to oneself that we must not get stale in routine.” It’s
not the situation that’s the problem. It’s how you react to it.
Bruce Lee used Buddhism’s Eight-fold path in relation to martial
arts, but Shannon believes her father also used this path to design
his recovery. “You must see clearly what is wrong. You must decide
to be cured. Speak so as to aim at being cured. You must act. Your
livelihood must not conflict with your therapy. The therapy must go
forward at the staying speed. You must feel it and think about it
incessantly. And learn how to contemplate with the deep mind.”
“Walk On” is an action phrase. Here’s how you can take action with
what we discussed this week: Think: Do you have a phrase that you
use that helps you? Or what could be a phrase that you can create
that can help you with whatever you are struggling with right now?
Please share your phrases with us, we’d love to hear from you.
Share via social media with the hashtag #BruceLeeMoment #AHAA
(Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week's #AHAA shout-out goes to
actress Constance Wu, currently on the TV show “Fresh Off the Boat.
”Recently, she ignited a Twitter-storm in response to the news of
Matt Damon being cast in a movie called “The Great Wall” which is
about China’s Great Wall. Constance starts off strong: “We have to
stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save
the world. It’s not based in actual fact. Our heroes don’t look
like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela.” Bruce Lee
was a huge advocate for casting people of color in leading roles
and did not believe that America would only accept White lead
characters. Thank you Constance for speaking truth and being
awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week we have an email from a fan
named Bryon Yu: Hi my name is Byron from San Diego, CA. I've been
listing to your podcast for a few days now and it's been very
inspirational. It's awesome that you focus on Bruce Lee's
philosophies, because there truly is more to him than the martial
arts he's known for. As a Chinese-American, I've always struggled
with finding the balance between the culture I am born into and the
culture I am born from. And hearing how one of the most famous
Chinese-Americans thinks definitely helps me puts things into
perspective. Perhaps it's not so important to find a defined middle
path, but to simply walk the path you believe is good and right.
Thank you Shannon, Sharon, and the podcast team for doing this!
Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via
social media @BruceLee or email us at hello@brucelee.com.

About the Podcast

Join Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee and cultural anthropologist Sharon Ann Lee for a conversation about the life and philosophy of Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee was a famous martial artist, movie star and cultural icon--but his philosophy has caught fire around the world inspiring millions searching for meaning and consciousness. Each episode will dig deep into Bruce’s philosophy to provide guidance and action on cultivating your truest self.
“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”